School Magazine

Magazine Analysis 2

School Magazine Analysis 1

Front Cover of School Magazine

Contents Page of School Magazine

Evaluation

The task was to use my creativity skills to produce a cover and a contents page for the Canon Palmer Catholic School magazine. In order to carry on with my task I had to do research so that I could get a general idea of how school magazines are presented. To assist me in developing my ideas, I had observed a few school magazines, which were Langdon Secondary School and Canon palmer Catholic School. I compared and contrasted both magazine covers and contents page. I found out that both school magazines had a very professional and formal outlook as they are mostly read by parents or guardians. As a result, I decided to do my magazine cover professionally to attract the attention of the target readers.
I went to take some photos with the camera provided. I took a few photos but I put my mind on one photo that I was going to use in my front cover. I sent all the photos I took to the computer from the camera using a cable, then I had to do a draft of my front cover so that I knew where I was heading. I did my draft with pencil and went over it with a black pen to make it stand out. I also did a draft for my contents page. The ‘Magnetic Lasso' tool highlights the edge as you go around the picture so it looks like this. Once you done that you can move the specific area wherever you like.
I decided to use Photoshop to create my magazine cover and contents page. I opened up an A4 sized blank page on Photoshop. Then I opened the photo I wanted to use on Photoshop and used the ‘Magnetic Lasso' tool from Photoshop to go around the photo.
I used the ‘Rectangular Marquee' tool to create the boxes on my cover. Then I filled it in with a gradient of colours, which took a lot of time to do but had a good outcome. I decided to do it as the same colour as the school’s badge. After I did that I decided to do a masthead using the ‘Horizontal Type' tool, then I placed the school logo on the back. I made some changes to the font layer. I also adjusted the colour of the masthead so that it matches the badge. After I did the masthead, I decided to add in the photo. I highlighted the edge of the photos using ‘Magnetic Lasso' tool before. I selected the photo and dragged it to the original front cover. I used the rubber tool to go around the edges so that it became smoother, which improved the appearance. I also switched the side of the photo from left to right.
As it seemed slightly plain, I decided to change the background to another colour. In the photo her clothes are black (uniform) so I had chosen to change the background black as well to match it.
Once I had the basic idea prepared, I decided to add in the rest of the small features. I added the date of the issue using the ‘Horizontal Type' tool. I added the writing inside using the ‘Horizontal Type' tool. I added ‘Free Parker Pen Inside’ as most magazines give out freebies to attract more people. I used the ‘Custom Shape' tool to create a ‘starburst’, then I placed it on the bottom right-hand corner. And then I filled it with the same colour as the badge and the masthead.
After I did that I added in the cover lines. On my draft there are 4 cover lines altogether. I added the main cover line first of all. It is called ‘A Star is Born in Canon Palmer’.I changed the colour of the word ‘Star’ to make it stand out. And I re-adjusted the size of the words to make it like a real magazine. I also changed the size of the font to improve the overall presentation. After the main cover line, I decided to add the other normal cover lines to make it look like a real magazine. I used the same technique to add all other cover lines in.
That is the final step for my magazine cover. The mistake that I made in this was the background. On my draft, I did it as a plain background, but I changed it to black in order to blend in the main image. I also changed the order of some of the cover lines and the colour of the ‘starburst’. On my draft I was going to add a barcode, but because this is a school’s magazine, no one is going to buy it so I decided to get rid of it. By re-adjusting my mistakes I successfully accomplished my cover page. Then I started my contents page.
To start my contents page, I looked at different contents pages in other magazines. Once again, it had a professional outlook and was also similar to the title page; similar colour has been used, and the font and font size was also the same. So I did another draft of the contents page. It wasn’t very detailed, as I did not know what cover lines I was going to put in, so I just did the layout and the colour scheme of the page. I used the front page as a template to help me create my contents page. I used the same layout and colour.
I added a few images, which I took from the same camera. I used the same technique to cut around the edge using ‘Magnetic Lasso' tool and blend it in with the background using the ‘Eraser’. I added three images on the right hand side because texts are going to be placed on the left. My next step was to add the logo. I do not want it to look exactly like my front cover, so I decided to insert the logo in a different place. I decided to place the logo on the bottom left-hand corner. To make it look more stylish and less plain, I tilted it slightly. This is the main cover line. I changed the colour of the word ‘Star’ to make it stand out more, and I re-adjusted the size of the words to make it look better presented. To tilt the image, I selected the layer and went to ‘edit’ selected ‘Transform’ and clicked on rotate to turn it slightly to the left, then I pressed ‘enter’ and increased the size of the logo.
However, I was confronted by a problem, when I expanded the image; the size of the pixels increased, which made the overall image unclear. Therefore I decided to use ‘blur’ filter from Photoshop to solve the problem. In order to solve my problem I clicked on ‘Filter’ pointed at ‘Blur’ and selected ‘Gaussian Blur’.
I wasn’t too certain on what cover lines to put in. I decided that I had to use the same ones I had used previously for my front page so the two pages match more, which meant that I had four cover lines already. However, I need more so I made a list of all the cover lines and chose the correct ones. I got some more ideas from the school magazine and then I added all the cover articles and the page numbers. I also added ‘drop shadow’ and ‘inner shadow’ to all the texts so it becomes clear and easier to read.
Overall, I think I did a good job on my work. I followed my plan and finished it successfully. I had accomplished all of this within two weeks and did not rush it on the last minute. I planned it out very well and finished it on time. Other magazines helped me out a lot as well; looking at them gave me an idea of how the layout of magazines are supposed to be. School magazines looked very different from normal magazines. Normal magazines can be very colourful and bright but all the school magazines I looked at were mainly formal. I could have improved on a few things. I could have worked a bit more on the contents page and I could have downloaded some new fonts and used them for my contents page. I could have changed the font around to make it more attractive and to make it stand out better. I also could have used more people as in most school magazines there are images of many students in various locations. Also in the real school magazines, it’s possible to see the background of students, therefore from those images I should have also showed the background instead of blending in all the pictures. So there were a few mistakes that I had done during my task, but I did finish it on time and used appropriate tools and programs to create the work. I could have used a range of other effects and techniques to make my magazine more eye-catching from average school magazines but I felt that too much change would not make it look like an actual school magazine. In general, I approved of my work and was quite happy with the overall outcome.

Music Magazine

Improved Front Cover. I added new cover lines, issue number and date [above]

Music Magazine Cover

Double Page improved with a box out and page numbers [above]

Contents Page

Some of my peers have criticized that some of my Contents Page's text is cut off which is the 'Welcome' bit therefore i changed it and posted it below.

This is the final of my Contents page (above)

images above are all photographs i took with my camera

Music Magazine (computer draft) [above]

Magazine Analysis 1 [above]

Magazine Analysis 2 [above]

Evaluation

Brief

For my AS Media coursework, I produced the front cover, contents page and a double page spread of a music magazine. I completed this task on my own, and as a result I produced all the work by myself, which involved taking photographs for the magazine, writing the article, using my computing skills and also using specific software to create my cover and contents page. I have to show my creativity as well as my knowledge on music magazine’s production in order to complete of this task successfully.

Research

In order to achieve the best outcome for my magazine, I have to carry out a wide range of research to assist me in identifying my target market. I decided to ask 30 people altogether; 15 females and 15 males, allowing me to gain a moderate set of results. I wanted to know how often they purchase a magazine, what type of magazines they are people interested in and the average price that they would spend on a magazine. After viewing this information I can plan how my production is going to be. I have to analyse a few similar magazines so that I can get an idea of how the magazines of a specific culture are laid out. I created a questionnaire to allow me to get a general view of how the readers expect the magazine to be like.

Questionnaire

To find out what type of music magazine to produce, I chose to carry out a primary research method of random sampling in order to gain the information required. I decided to ask 30 people altogether, 15 males and 15 females so it does not come out to be biased results. I want to ask late teens and adults so I can get a sensible report in the end, whereas the average majority of teenagers and children can be irresponsible with answering the questionnaire.

How often do you buy a magazine?

Weekly___ Semi-monthly___ Every day___


Conclusion: The majority of people went for monthly which bodes well with my prediction because monthly magazines have the time to make more luxurious editions.

What genre of music magazine do you normally purchase?

Rock___ Jazz___ Classical___


Conclusion: A large quantity of the mature readers chose classical and rock, so I can assume that the other two genres of magazines are more suitable for teenagers and children. I came to a decision of doing my magazine based on classical because it is different and much more suitable for my target market.

On average, how much would you spend on a magazine?

£1.51-£2.00___ £2.01- £2.51___ Over £2.51___


Conclusion: The greater number of people went for £1.51-£2.00, as it is the most appropriate price range for magazines in general. This is understandable because people would not want to spend too much money on something that will most probably get thrown away after a certain period of time.

How long would you keep a magazine?

A day___ A week___ Two weeks___ Less than a week___ More than two weeks___


Conclusion: Majority people went for ‘Less than a week’ therefore I should not charge a lot for my magazine because most people will not keep a magazine more than a week unless they have a particular purpose for holding onto it.

I need to be able to write about forms and conventions partly to demonstrate that I have a secure understanding of how existing media texts are constructed and how they communicate with an audience. I should also be able to take the knowledge of forms and conventions gathered from existing texts and use it when creating texts of my own. In order to do this I have to look at other similar magazines and analyse them.

By creating my own front cover and contents page for my preliminary task (to create a front page and a contents page for Canon Palmer Catholic School), I learnt more about the conventions needed to make them successful and also gained experience in using the programs involved in their production. For example, I have learnt how to use new tools whilst using ‘Adobe Photoshop CS4’ and ‘Adobe Indesign CS4’, such as selecting particular objects and separating them from the original image, then transferring it onto another background, which I have done on my preliminary task.

In my preliminary task, the masthead is on the top, in a bold but fancy red in order to attract the eye. Underneath that I also placed the date of issue. The black background allows the faces of the two young females to stand out, attracting the target market's eyes towards them. Other cover lines are in white to contrast with the background, which makes it stand out more. The main cover line is also in white however, the name ‘star’ is in yellow because the star is represented as a luminous object so it should stand out. Also there is a freebie that is clearly shown on the bottom right-hand corner.

I decided to analyse the magazines, ‘Classical FM’ and ‘Guitarist’. Both of the magazines are classical, which means that they would be a great use for developing ideas for my magazine. On the ‘Guitarist’ magazine I had analysed, I noticed that the main cover image was overlapping the masthead, however, in contrast, the ‘Classical FM’ masthead is really simple and neat. As I had observed more than one magazine, I had a chance to choose one of the styles for my magazine. I decided to overlap my main cover image on top of the masthead, so that it can create a realistic effect and the image will stand out more to the reader. In both magazines the barcode is placed at the bottom right-hand corner, so I also decided to place it on the bottom right-hand corner.

Following on from my previous analysis of the front cover, I have also decided to look in more detail at contents pages, as later on in my project I will aim to create one for a successful music magazine. In order to do so, I needed to explore the particular conventions included.
After looking in more depth at the conventions of a contents page, I have a clearer idea of what to include later on in my project. I've learnt that content pages should not be too over-crowded, as the main aim is to easily find and locate a particular desired page. I've also learnt that although simplicity is the key, bold words and colourful photography add detail and attraction than it being just a mere list of pages.

By looking at this issue of ‘Classic FM’ and ‘Guitarist’, I've learnt what extra features can potentially attract more readers. For example, adding a free 'gift' attracts more buyers as it seems as though they are getting more than what they paid for. I have also learnt that symmetrical layouts involving colour, pattern and layout can create a positive and attractive front cover and those using brighter colours creates a more eye-catching contrast.

After looking in more detail at the form of a double page article, I have learnt the following things. Bold and bright colours are essential for attracting the eye and keeping the reader interested. Small side panels and boxes add extra information to the page and also add variety. Articles usually include small, interesting quotes by the musicians which are occasionally highlighted in bold or colour to make them stand out from the rest of the page and makes the reader want to continue reading. When producing my own double page spread, I will take these particular techniques into consideration in order to create a successful article.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Keeping a foundation on the genres of classical music, I developed my music magazine. Classical music mainly involves information on violinists, guitarists, pianists and appropriate clothing. These fit into the main genre of 'orchestras'; the forms of this include: Bright colours, string instruments and melodic tunes. My photographs are edited to be brighter and this pallet was continued throughout.
The layout of a front cover includes a large masthead and one large eye-catching photograph. The only different convention I used was a large intricate italic font on the masthead adding a classic style that compliments the photography.

Conventions of a contents page include a large bold title and listed pages, with an editor’s letter to the side. I included the editor’s letter on a separate page, as I did not have any space for it and did not want my page to be crowded. I think it was successful as the page continued the themes on from the front cover, giving it a colourful and bright appearance.

A double page spread would include a large, bold heading and different sized photographs. In order to create an eye-catching and professional piece of journalism, the background is correctly fitted to the main image, and similar colours are used. The colours used are bright and contrasting as it is a classical music magazine, which means it must not be too colourful but should still stand out.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The person signified in my magazine is an unknown British artist. It’s a woman looking for her chance to show the world what she is capable to do. The woman I used is British from a working class family. The overall image of the artist is positive in order to promote their music. The appearance of the featured artist is a leading representation; she is very smart, giving credit to her and the magazine. The spoken dialogue from the artist is also very positive; she comes across as a very down to earth person, which is appealing to the audience. This is a very dominant representation of the orchestra type and is therefore also a stereotype.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Similar magazines to my own include ‘Guitarist’ and ‘Classic FM’, two leading independent classical, music magazines. ‘Future publishing’ publishes ‘Guitarist’ whereas ‘Haymarket’ publishes ‘Classic FM’. I think ‘Haymarket’ would be most likely to fund my own magazine, as it is more similar to ‘Classic FM’. Both include independent artists and features on live concerts, which means they appeal to one particular audience, which is one of the currently one of the largest. Although the basis of the magazines are similar, mine has a different edge as it is based on the more futuristic based bands and soloists, instead of those based on simply just a festival stage. Mine focuses on students, who are trying to get under the spotlight. The publisher may think it will make a profit as it focuses on the younger generation who are trying to be famous, rather than people who are already in the fame zone, and the actual reviews will draw the reader towards the magazine as they would not know what to expect.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience of my magazine is not targeted towards a particular gender as it could interest either male or female readers. The age range is from 21 and over, as this is when people, in general, have the strongest interest in the world of classical music. The magazine is aimed at those of British Nationality, as the articles would only consist of stories based on British people. The magazine is more likely to be read by those who have the interest in orchestra type of music. Their ethnicity does not matter as Britain is a multi-cultural society and my magazine would contain articles based on people in Britain of different ethnics. The magazine is more likely to be bought by mature people who are financially stable and those especially interested in music, and also students who are struggling in the music industry, which means that interviews from the magazine could possibly persuade them to continue. As this particular audience is so large and varied, the magazine should stay financially stable with benefits for everyone. Therefore people who have an interest in classical music and interviews from students trying to achieve their aim of becoming a classical musician can purchase my magazine.

How did you attract/ address your audience?

An audience of a classical music magazine would usually expect interviews, reviews and concerts. The front cover would usually include one large, eye-catching photograph. On a contents page, there is an easy-to-read page listing and the article should include impressive photography and journalism.

I wanted a unique title so I decided on 'Strings,' the connotations of this including unknown artists that play in certain venues. Firstly, I thought of naming my magazine, ‘Symphonia’ as it is a classical magazine, so symphony is needed. However, I changed it to ‘Strings’ because I thought it would suit my front cover. The main photograph is a medium shot of a young woman playing a violin, with side lighting to create the impression of a double personality and depth. The mise-en-scene of this photograph is her body, a simple pose, in colour on a violin background so she stands out. I have made her blend to the background to make it better. Also, I faced a problem on pacing my main image. The original image I took had the person tilted sideways but the violin straight. However, it did not look suitable for the magazine, therefore I changed it by using the ‘rotation’ tool and made the person straight but the violin tilted. I also edited the background a bit to make it seem rougher, so that my main image can stand out.

On my contents page, I chose an image but edited it so it does not look like a real photographic image. The layout of the contents page was very simple; it just involved one large photograph and a large heading. I wanted to make this unique, so I added an image of scrolls and pasted the articles in that so it appeared as though it was actually written on the scrolls. I used an appropriate font for this called, ‘cracked’ which created an old-looking effect. I think the way I edited the image for the background will make my contents page eye-catching, and I deliberately, added a scroll in my work that makes the magazine individual. I took the image of the scroll from the internet, google images to be precise and customised it by editing it on photoshop. I used filter tool of 'fresco' and he opacity level of 88% which makes it blend in with the background. Also i took the image of the melodic notes and used the same technique but the opacity level of 67%. These are the only images I used from the internet, however, I did change it around.

I used ‘Apple Works’ to do my double page spread which, in my opinion, was a lot harder than expected. It was hard for me to place a background because it constantly moved around when I was adding the text. However, in order to attract the audience I decided to use a black background and white font called ‘Giddyup Std’ and for the title I used ‘Edwardian Script itc’. I used two different fonts because I wanted it to make it attractive and stand out better. To solve my issues, I asked an expert for advice, and he said to add the text first and then add the background, it sounded foolish at first but when I tried it, it came out perfectly. I personally think it will be easier to create this on ‘Photoshop’ and I could have added more colours to make it unique. However, I knew I would face a major problem of splitting it into equal columns so ‘Apple Works’ was the only option.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I used a camera to take my photos; the strength of the camera is that it is compact and lightweight. This means that they can be carried them in just about any position quite easily. They were also very easy to operate. This was good for me because I didn’t have any experience with a proper camera so it was interesting working with one to capture a professional image. The let-down about the camera was that it didn’t have much battery life if the when the lens was kept open, which was a problem I had to overcome, as I needed to keep switching it on.

I also used appropriate softwares in order to complete my task efficiently. I was told to use ‘Adobe Photoshop’ for my front cover and my contents page. I was also told to use software called ‘Apple Works’ to create my double page spread, so following my instructions, I used ‘Adobe Photoshop CS4’ to create my front cover and contents page, which was easier than I thought it would be. Adobe Photoshop CS4 allowed me to edit, crop and adapt the photographs taken on the digital camera of which I used the rule of thirds mode to help create interesting photography. Technology helped me to produce a successful and professional magazine through editing techniques. The Internet also helped to place all my work on the ‘blog spot‘ where other people can see it, which allows them to comment or make suggestions about it.


Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

For my preliminary task, I completed a front cover and a contents page for a school magazine. My final product was a huge improvement as when I completed my preliminary as I was not very skilled using technology so later on, I had gained more experience. I also realised high-resolution photography is vital for a professionalised magazine. Therefore by using a high mega pixel camera, I enabled myself to take better quality photographs. I also understood how to use specific tools and add more fonts rather than using the default ones which are already on the computer. Also, by adding more colours, I realised it will attract the audience towards it more, so I added more colours than I did in my preliminary work. This shows the progression from preliminary to final. It included much more interesting photography and a much more eye-catching front cover, therefore conveying the skills I have learnt during the process.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I am very content with my final product. It represents the right people and kind of music for the chosen genre and gives off very positive ideas. The photography is abstract and interesting and the article is backed up with great terminology and formal language, just as it would be on a real magazine. The photography is definitely a key strength as the abstract background catches the audience’s attention and makes them look inside for more information. I think that my final product is very close to being a real publication, as it is a very professional and well-constructed piece of media, similar to those on the market today. However, I think I have added too many abstracts in my project, which makes the magazine slightly unrealistic, but I did label the front cover as ‘Exclusive Version’ therefore audience would think of it as a special edition. Overall, I have successfully finished my project on time, with good results.